How Runners Benefit From Sport-Specific Strength Training

By Jay Johnson | For Active.com

The little things can add up to big things.

After the 2012 Chicago Marathon, I received a Facebook message from Patrick Rizzo, a professional runner who trains in Boulder, Colorado. He finished 21st in 2:15:44, which is just over 5-minute miles for 26.2 miles.

Rizzo's message said that he didn't do much strength or ancillary work (i.e. non-running work) during his marathon build-up and, in the future, he wanted to get back to doing more of that work. I share this for one simple reason: Once you've done strength work, you'll see the results in your running. And the converse is also true, as Rizzo's comment points out: If you stop doing ancillary work, you won't feel as strong on race day.

Popular Activities Near You

Ashburn, VA

Let's take a step back and discuss the reasons to do running-specific strength work, then get into some specific exercises and routines that you can do.

How Runners Benefit From Strength Training

The rationale for strength work is two-fold. First, if you do ancillary work, you can safely handle more miles. Second, it will allow you to run more intense workouts safely. If you think about it, these are the two variables that most coaches and athletes try to change throughout a training cycle. If you can run more, or if you can run faster during workouts and stay injury-free, you'll end up racing faster. You could also argue that strength exercises help you stay consistent in your training. If you ask the best athletes in the world what's the secret to long-term success, many will point to consistency as the goal of intelligent training.

What Is Running-Specific Strength Training?

So what's ancillary work? On one end of the continuum are exercises from the world of physical therapy and athletic training?routines could include simple balance moves that improve proprioception and the intrinsic muscles of the feet. Watch the foot and lower leg of a friend as he or she balances on one foot barefoot?the muscles and tendons of the foot and the arch are very active. The feet are the first point of contact when running, so it makes sense that we should do some extra work to strengthen the feet and lower legs.

Flexibility and strengthening of the minor muscles also falls at this end of the continuum. For more information on this work, study the work of Jim and Phil Wharton; they've worked with over 100 Olympic medalists, and their approach to Active Isolated Flexibility?an elemental part of my coaching?is fantastic.

On the other end of the continuum: intense exercises such as squats, Olympic lifts and plyometrics. This type of work has gotten a lot of press in the last couple of years from CrossFit and, specifically, CrossFit Endurance. While there are numerous studies that show that strength training?specifically plyometrics?improves running economy, which is the best indicator of racing performance, intense lifting and plyometric work needs to be administered and overseen by a qualified coach. You shouldn't jump into plyometrics if you don't know how to land properly; don't know how many ground contacts you should do daily, weekly and monthly; and if you don't know the difference between simple exercises like ankle flips and depth jumps off a high box.

It's not rocket science, but you do need a qualified coach?and this is key?who has worked with runners for the simple reason that all of the ground contacts during running need to be accounted for when designing a plyometric program.

Related Items

About the Author

Coach Jay Johnson works with runners of all ages and abilities. A former collegiate coach at the University of Colorado, he's coached U.S. national champions, high school and adult runners. Sign up for individualized training from Jay at RunnersConnect.net. Read his blog at coachjayjohnson.com, follow him on Twitter @coachjayjohnson, or message him on Facebook.

Discuss This Article

Running Tips, Training & Advice

The Newbie Runner

Diaries: My First Half

Marathon

Our endurance editor Hunter Hewitt recently began training for his first half marathon. He decided to document his...

Within 2 Miles

Activities near you will have this indicator!

Within 2 Miles

ACTIVE.com is the leader in online event registrations from 5k running races and marathons to softball leagues and local events. ACTIVE also makes it easy to learn and prepare for all the things you love to do with expert resources, training plans and fitness calculators.

Frequently Asked Questions

ACTIVE Advantage is the premium membership program of ACTIVE, designed to support and encourage your active lifestyle by providing exclusive discounts on thousands of activities on ACTIVE. No matter what your passions are, it is our mission to make it cheaper and easier for you to pursue the activities you love.

The 30-day trial of the ACTIVE Advantage membership allows you to check out the program for yourself before starting a full annual membership. During this trial period you have full access to member benefits, including all ACTIVE registration discounts, access to free event entries, gear discounts and more. If you decide during the trial period that you don't want to continue the membership, just let us know. Otherwise, at the end of your 30 day trial we will extend your member benefits for a full year at the current annual membership fee.

If you sign up for the 30-day ACTIVE Advantage trial membership you'll receive full access to all member benefits during your trial period. When the 30 days of the trial are up, your benefits will automatically upgrade to the annual membership which currently costs $64.95 per year. That's less than $6 per month to enjoy the program all year round.

Members can receive discounts when registering for events on ACTIVE.com.

Simply follow the steps below to redeem your discount

Step 1: Find an event on ACTIVE and login. Use the ACTIVE directory to find an event. Click the login button in the upper right corner of the event details page. You will be re-directed to a login screen. After logging in, you will be sent back to the event details page.

Step 2: Click the "Register Now" button to sign up for the event. Complete all required registration fields and proceed to payment screen. When logged in as an Advantage member, your discount will automatically apply at the end of registration.

Step 3: Submit registration and receive discount. The discount amount will display in your shopping cart and will be deducted from your registration fees. The registration discount will vary and is excluded from some events. If the discount does not appear in your shopping cart, the event is not eligible.